Former Delta State governor, James Ibori, who was released from a UK prison on Wednesday, must do two things before returning to Nigeria: He must face a deportation hearing and also pay £18 million to the UK government as the “proceeds of crime.”

The unresolved issues almost elongated Ibori’s incarceration, until a high court judge gave an order he should be released and that attempts to detain him were “quite extraordinary.”

Ordering Ibori to be immediately freed from prison, Justice May said: “You don’t hold someone just because it is convenient to do so and without plans to deport them.”

A Home Office application that Ibori be electronically tagged and subjected to strict curfew conditions was also rejected.

The judge accepted arguments that the home secretary was attempting to misuse her immigration and deportation powers.

Ibori was jailed for fraud totalling nearly £50 million in April 2012.

He evaded capture in Nigeria after a mob of supporters attacked the police, but was arrested in Dubai in 2010 and extradited to the UK, where he was prosecuted based on evidence from the Metropolitan Police.

On Wednesday, the Home Office’s barrister said the government was concerned that Ibori might “frustrate confiscation proceedings” and wanted him kept in jail or subjected to strict controls on his movement.

But it emerged in court that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which is pursuing the confiscation proceedings, was “neutral” about Ibori’s release and possible deportation.

Ian MacDonald, QC, representing Ibori, said: “The Secretary of State has taken it upon herself. There is no objection from (the CPS) for release.

“Why doesn’t the Secretary of State just send him back?” she asked. “He wants to go. She wants him to go.”

The conviction of James Ibori followed a government anti-corruption campaign led by the Department for International Development (DfID) 10 years ago.

In court on Wednesday, Ibori’s barrister, Ivan Krolic, explained how another defendant in the fraud case had appealed against conviction on the grounds that “police officers in the investigations had been corrupt.”

“The Court of Appeal rejected that after counsel for the Crown indicated that there was nothing to support the allegation”, Krolic explained.

Ordering Ibori’s release, Justice May said:

The Secretary of State appears to have taken it upon herself that Ibori does remain in this country, in apparent contradiction of the order served earlier this year to deport him.

The position of the Secretary of State, as very candidly set out by Birdling (representing the home secretary), is that she accepts that there is an argument that she has no power to detain him.

I have decided that the balance of convenience falls heavily in favour of his immediate release. I am not prepared to impose conditions involving tagging or curfews.

The judge said the matter of Ibori’s deportation should be heard before the end of January.

After his release, Ibori held a praise and worship session at his residence in London.

Also why is the British government demanding 18 million pounds from ibori as proceeds of crime??? Will those monies be repatriated to Nigerian government, given that he embezzled those monies? This is not simply a case of laundering money obtained from organized crime like the mob. This is money embezzled from Nigeria and ought to be returned to her as such. The Nigerian government had better file a motion to indicate their interests in re-copying such monies. British Ole!

As in! D pastors or people who attend such gatherings have zero conscience and zero integrity. It is actually laughable that we celebrate and sympathize with people who has robbed us of our rights as citizens of this great country. Am still amazed at how low we allow ourselves to go, because of crumbs from our collective wealth this politicians gives them

How do we get out of this mess? This just shows the very people who commit these crimes that worse comes to worse they can do jail time in an international prison like the UK where it is comfortable compared to Nigeria, I mean you have rights in UK prisons. But we the people have to change, we celebrate these people because they throw us a bone but it doesn’t go a long way and it doesn’t help our children grow or our families to come out of deep rooted poverty. We fail to see the bigger picture because anything (bag of rice at Christmas) can mean everything in that moment, so these people remain powerful in our eyes.
Anyway I do believe that more and more people jailed or investigated will stop them and others from exaggerating what they take from Nigeria, because it’s inevitable that they will take something.

Lol, I can’t mehn!!! Can’t wait to see how his return will play out in Naija. President Buhari, you have the perfect scape goat now. They should be able to build a solid case and have him on trial when he gets to Naija. I’m done with Naija forever if this guy ever runs for office. Like done!! I’m gonna pull a Soyinka and tear my passport ?

believe me if he runs for office people will vote for him. if you don’t live in delta state you can never understand the respect people have for him. agreed he’s corrupt and has done really bad things just like every other politician in Nigeria but he is the only governor since the creation of the state that has worked for the people! since he left the office till now there has not been any sensible development. Any development You See now is based on the blue print put in by ibori. so that guy running his mouth that he will tear his citizenship get ready oo because after the dust settles and he decides to run for office I will be on the queue with my voters card! if you like spil whatever vile if you don’t live in delta state you can never understand!

wawu! Brother/Sister, Try to see Delta state has your company. would you re-hire an employee that does his job but embezzles or just someone that does his job. You can’t and shouldn’t settle for less. You are a stakeholder and you deserve better. Our politicians shouldnt be rewarded for doing the bare minimum.

Not attacking or judging you, just giving a different perspective. btw im from Ekiti state, my people voted Fayose. Im in no position to judge.

I really can’t believe us sometimes at honey molasses and Nomzy… “Only Deltans will understand” what I understand from your write up is that you believe that there are no good Deltans that can lead your state, that can and will truly care for the people of the state and that includes the both of you, that all you can do is settle for mediocrity, scratch that , not even mediocrity but crumbs like a dog and that is worse than mediocrity that is inhuman.

Smh!!! When I saw on social media how this man was being celebrated I realized Nigeria is not going to grow no matter how hard we pray. God is not going to do for us what we can do but constantly refuse to do for ourselves. See people on here saying they will gladly vote for a convicted felon and thief because he treated you no better than dogs??? This is why corruption continues to thrive and I will gladly live in “ignorance” (if that is your definition of ignorance) and not understand the “praise and worship” session. Who are they praising and worshipping anyway? The god of “thievery” and corruption? or the god that has made fellow Nigerians gullible and accept unhumane treatment has something to be celebrated.

My prayer is that God begins to open our eyes to STOP believing such none sense because only then can our “leaders” begin to understand that corruption is no longer acceptable. But for now, I don’t see that happening so I think we should collectively STOP complaining about the government or those in authority because they do what they do because we continue to not only enable them but celebrate them as well.

Well said.
I was just looking at both of them up there embarrassing themselves.
It is sad that Nigerians celebrate and encourage mediocrity. This is the same Ibori that bribed a judge circa 2005 when Gani Fawehinmi brought up a case against him. The case? Ibori was once a convicted felon in Nigeria and as such, is inelligble to run for an elected office. But hey, the judge said Gani and Ogboru couldnt provide “enough evidence” to prove that the two James’ were “the same person”. Of course, the evidence was right in front of him, but Ibori had already bribed him blind.
Sad.

Nigerians will stone a goat for allegedly stealing grass, they will strip a woman naked for allegedly stealing 5 naira dry pepper, they will lynch a teenager for stealing a dated flip phone worth 4 kobo but they celebrate and hero worship politicians and pastors and men and women that have stolen food right from inside their mouths. Money for good roads and good schools and good hospitals are knowingly diverted to private coffers and those men are touted as heros. TUFIAKWA!

Congratulations Sir.It was during your reign as a governor I was awarded a Delta State scholarship which saw me through my university days wen things were rough for my parents and I couldn’t afford to pay my fees.I am a Graduate today because those funds assisted me through school. This is indeed the Lord’s doing. Congratulations again.

The school you went to surely didn’t help your life.
The money given as scholarship, you are entitled to it. Millions of deltans are entitled to it. Let it sink into your head that ibori didn’t do you a favour. He did the needful…

Woow…. Bro that is hitting the nail on the head. Best remark so far on the argument. Ibori didn’t do you Deltans a FAVOUR but did his JOB as expected because its his RESPONSIBILITY. You need to know your rights that the government are not there for themselves put are there on your behalf representing you, so are mandated to serve you and put you first. Therefore, you cannot praise a man that helped you but still looted a huge sum of money that you and the people are all entitled to. For instance, you employ a manager to help run your company, quite alright he did a good job but embezzled lots of your finance. Do you appraise such a person?

That is exactly the point! The others do nothing but loot still or do you think there’s any such governor in Nigeria who has not stolen public fund? We r entitled to it but who else has given us our entitlements if not this one who stole. Truth be told delta state is still where Ibori left it!